Command Decisions
by cannon
Summary: General Hammond has to make a decision and fears he may have cost one member of SG-1 their life.


"Unauthorized off-world activation!" Walter Harriman shouted. 

General George Hammond was halfway down the stairs from the briefing room before he realized he'd grown accustomed to the idea that someone on an alien world was contacting them. Scientists buried in SETI dreamed of this, but here they had standard procedures to follow. As he approached the command center, he asked, "IDC?"

Harriman shook his head quickly, eyes locked on the computer screen. Hammond frowned; that didn't make sense. The Gate had been open for thirty seconds. The only team that was out at the moment was SG-1, and they were a little overdue. They should have entered their codes by now.

"Should we open the iris, Sir?"

"No," he said, straining to get the word out. "We cannot assume that this is SG-1."

The Stargate stood active, silent, empty for what felt like ages. The counter on the screen revealed that it had been open for over a minute and a half. Hammond leaned in and angled the mic to his mouth. "This is General Hammond. Please identify yourselves."

Nothing. He couldn't contact them via their individual, shoulder-mounted radios, only through the MALP. And there was nothing saying the MALP had to be nearby when they activated the 'Gate, although the money-makers liked to get them back whenever possible. He stared at the iris. He wasn't debating what to do; he was figuring out how to live with the fact that he couldn't open the iris.

He was about to tell Harriman to keep him informed of any changes... when there was an impact. He glanced at the computer read-out. The Stargate had been open for three minutes. The screen confirmed that the impact had been a human. He closed his eyes and waited until the Stargate disengaged to open them.

"Keep me apprised," he said softly, putting a hand on Walter's shoulder.

"Yes, Sir," the technician said, hands flying over his controls.

Hammond slowly carried himself up the stairs, his mind reeling. There was no reason to assume SG-1 had dialed the Gate. He couldn't think of a possibility where one of them would go through and leave the others behind, let alone without sending the IDC through ahead of time.

Unless they'd lost their GDOs. Unless the three minute pause had been in the hopes Hammond would open the iris for them. He paused in the briefing room, wondering if the lone casualty had been on the way to get help for the other three. He suddenly wondered which team member it might have been.

Colonel O'Neill? No, if at all possible, he would have stayed behind and fought. But if it was him... if he had, for some reason, headed back to the SGC for reinforcements... would that be the absolute worst thing?

Colonel O'Neill had gone on the first Stargate mission planning to stay gone. He planned to die on the other side of the event horizon. Hammond again shuddered at the tactics his predecessors had used. How could they fathom sending a suicidal colonel on a mission this important? It was... inhumane.

As much as he hated to say it, the death of O'Neill would cause him the least emotional strife. The man had come to the Stargate with not only the understanding that he could die, but with the intention to make his death happen. He had rebounded beautifully, seemed a fit and right member of the military now... but his death warrant had been signed almost a year ago. As hard as it was to think like that, Hammond couldn't help believing it would be wrong to see someone else die in O'Neill's place.

Carter was instrumental to the SGC. The program could go on without her, of course... they would probably have to bring in that blowhard applicant Hammond had denied. What had his name been, McKeen? McKay? Something like that. On top of her importance to the program, he dreaded the idea of telling his good friend Jacob Carter that his only daughter was dead.

Worse than that, Jacob couldn't even be told how she had died. "In the line of duty" would be the most he got in the way of explanation. That was unacceptable. If the worst occurred and it was Samantha Carter who had died against the iris, he would do his damnedest to get Jacob clearance. He deserved to know his little girl had died following her dream.

But would it be the worst if Samantha Carter was dead? Daniel Jackson was an orphan, of course. But he was also a civilian. A scientist. He had never sworn to put his life on the line for his country. 'I never should have allowed him to go through the Stargate in the first place,' Hammond thought, regretting the decision once again. He knew he wouldn't revoke Jackson's clearance if he did survive; sending a civilian onto the front lines was just something he'd have to learn to live with.

And speaking of civilians... he couldn't exactly qualify Teal'c with that statement, could he? Was it possible the Jaffa had been the one to die? Hammond thought of the unbearable irony that Teal'c would turn against his god only to die a handful of weeks later. In the few short days, he had grown from the stoic, powerful warrior into... Well, he was still stoic and powerful. He was still a warrior. But he seemed at peace. Ready for what lay ahead.

He'd stepped up against the Goa'uld. From here on in, no matter how far he carried the war against the Goa'uld, Teal'c was already the victor in a huge battle.

Hammond shut off his mind and walked towards his office. He prayed the answers would come sooner rather than later, but trying to divine what had happened was getting him nowhere. The answers would come.

Half an hour after the impact, the Stargate activated again. Hammond left his office, hurrying into the control center. Walter either heard him or somehow divined his presence, saying, "We're receiving an IDC. It's SG-1, Sir."

'The moment of truth,' Hammond thought. "Open the iris," he commanded.

The metal barrier slid out of place and Hammond left the control room. He approached the ramp and held his breath. Daniel Jackson stepped through first. He was followed by Samantha Carter, who was holding what appeared to be a travel-sizes Gideon's Bible.

Behind her came Colonel O'Neill and Lieutenant Connor, the latter man bandaged and burnt. Hammond remembered SG-9's initial report on the planet indicated above-average UV radiation and assumed the man had spent a little too much time in the sun.

Teal'c came through the Stargate behind them, carrying his staff weapon. All four members of SG-1 present and accounted for... all but one member of SG-9 missing. Hammond stepped forward. "Colonel O'Neill?"

"General," Jack said. "I gather there was a bit of excitement here about thirty minutes ago...?"

"So that was you," Hammond said.

"Yes, Sir. Sorry for the confusion. We'll explain all in the briefing."

"Explain one thing to me now, Colonel," Hammond asked, trying to sound polite. "There was an impact..."

The reply came from Samantha Carter. "It was Jonas, Sir. Captain Hansen," she quickly corrected.

"Captain..."

Jack stepped in. "We would've had to put him on trial anyway, General. What with secrecy and treason laws and..." He waved his hand. "It's much cleaner this way, believe me."

Carter walked off without further comment, slapping the Bible in her hand against her thigh. Hammond nodded. "All right. Debrief in one hour."

He watched the five walk off and turned around, returning to his office. Jonas Hansen. A man who, by Colonel O'Neill's admission, deserved to die. Still, Hansen had died as a direct result of Hammond's order to keep the iris closed. He closed his office door and sat down, resting his elbows on the edge of the desk and staring at the opposite wall.

Hansen had a sister in Milwaukee. She deserved to know. He opened his lap top and tried to think of a way to tell her what had happened.

**_"Ms. Hansen,_**

**_I regret to inform you that your brother died because I didn't open the door for him."_**

****

end


End file.
